This film is currently unavailable
This film is certified
- Contains strong violence, sexual violence and strong language
Cape Fear
Scorsese’s remake of J Lee Thompson’s 1962 thriller stars Robert De Niro as a psychotic rapist out to avenge the lawyer he blames for his conviction (Nick Nolte).
Legal and Courtroom drama 1991 128 mins
Director: Martin Scorsese
Overview
Scorsese’s remake of J Lee Thompson’s thriller – about a rapist released from prison and determined to take revenge on the family of the lawyer (Nick Nolte) he holds responsible for his conviction – heightens both the sadistic monstrosity of Max Cady (De Niro) and the various failings of his intended victims.
Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck and Martin Balsam, from the 1962 original, have fun cameos, but it’s Juliette Lewis who steals the show, with a performance of thumb-sucking notoriety. While Scorsese retains Bernard Herrmann’s thunderous score, he presents clever twists on the story such as making Nolte’s character a liberal defence lawyer, targeted by Cady for perceived lack of effort, rather than the prosecutor of the original film. Scorsese may enjoy toying with the presumptions of both liberal and conservative notions of justice, but the director here is really in freewheeling mode, revelling in the story’s visceral thrills and the heightened mania of De Niro’s central performance.
Contains strong violence, sexual violence and strong languageAccessibility
Related
Legal and Courtroom drama
Law and Disorder Law and Disorder
Legal and Courtroom drama 1940 74 mins Director: David MacDonald
Alastair Sim is in splendid form as a staid, slightly seedy solicitor in this cheerfully patriotic war-time espionage comedy.
Thriller
Elle Elle
Drama 2015 131 mins Director: Paul Verhoeven
Isabelle Huppert gives an unforgettable performance in Paul Verhoeven’s provocative thriller about one woman’s response to a violent attack.
The Wages of Fear The Wages of Fear
Crime 1953 153 mins Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Henri-Georges Clouzot's classic, nail-biting suspense thriller follows four desperate men as they transport a volatile cargo of nitro-glycerine to a massive oil well fire.
You Were Never Really Here You Were Never Really Here
Thriller 2017 90 mins Director: Lynne Ramsay
Lynne Ramsay journeys with Joaquin Phoenix into the mind of an ex-soldier gun-for-hire whose own demons are as brutal as the actions of his adversaries.
Iceman Iceman
Thriller 2017 96 mins Director: Felix Randau
Revenge is served ice-cold in this visceral thriller, in which a neolithic hunter seeks vengeance against those who decimated his tribe.
Revenge Revenge
Thriller 2017 108 mins Director: Coralie Fargeat
Coralie Fargeat's gloriously bloody tale of one woman's retribution; a razor-sharp feminist subversion of the revenge-thriller.
Snowpiercer Snowpiercer
Science Fiction 2013 126 mins Director: Bong Joon-ho
After a global catastrophe launches the world into a new ice age, the last of humanity are trapped on a high-speed train that circles the globe infinitely.
Featuring Robert De Niro
GoodFellas GoodFellas
Gangster 1990 145 mins Director: Martin Scorsese
Scorsese’s dazzling depiction of organised crime from the 50s to late 70s contains some of his most memorably stylish set-pieces.
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Drama 1974 107 mins Director: Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed fourth feature famously won Ellen Burstyn an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Who's That Knocking at My Door Who's That Knocking at My Door
Drama 1968 86 mins Director: Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese’s powerful and grittily authentic first feature, starring Harvey Keitel as a young New Yorker who falls in love with a free-spirited college graduate (Zeth Bithune).
GoodFellas GoodFellas
Gangster 1990 145 mins Director: Martin Scorsese
Scorsese’s dazzling depiction of organised crime from the 50s to late 70s contains some of his most memorably stylish set-pieces.
Silence Silence
Drama 2016 161 mins Director: Martin Scorsese
Scorsese’s epic meditation on spiritual strength, with Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver as missionaries on the search for their missing mentor.
New
One Man and His Shoes One Man and His Shoes
Documentary 2020 83 mins Director: Yemi Bamiro
South Londoner Yemi Bamiro’s pacey, engrossing Michael Jordan documentary reveals the darker side of marketing trainers.
Totally Under Control Totally Under Control
Documentary 2020 124 mins Director: Alex Gibney
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney details the Trump's administration's failed response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Body of Water Body of Water
Drama 2020 91 mins Director: Lucy Brydon
Lucy Brydon’s powerful debut feature sensitively explores the impact of an eating disorder on a family.
Summerland Summerland
Drama 2018 100 mins Director: Jessica Swale
Gemma Arterton stars in acclaimed theatre director Jessica Swale’s moving Second World War drama, as a woman rediscovering her ability to love.
Eternal Beauty Eternal Beauty
Drama 2019 94 mins Director: Craig Roberts
Sally Hawkins gives a standout performance as a fragile young woman in Craig Roberts’ humane depiction of mental illness.
Who's Gonna Love Me Now? Who's Gonna Love Me Now?
Documentary 2016 86 mins Director: Tomer Heymann
A heartfelt exploration of one man’s struggle to reconcile with his Israeli family, while finding a new ‘family’ in London Gay Men’s Chorus.